EVE Online reconfiguring launcher to use BitTorrent

In its latest dev blog, CCP says that it's currently working to revamp EVE Online's launcher, which hasn't seen many changes over the years. Why now? There are two main reasons -- the studio's desire to get updates out more quickly and reliably as well as the desire to reduce the incidences of failed patching that force players to reinstall the game. To address both of these issues, CCP is turning to BitTorrent.

CCP cites BitTorrent's ability to utilize a number of different transport channels at the same time, a feature that would minimize patching failures. Also noted was the ability to prioritize files, which could allow users to create characters while the game is still downloading. CCP also acknowledges player concerns about BitTorrent, saying that it won't be using players' bandwidth without their knowledge:

"By default the new EVE Launcher will only make you share the data required for installing the client while you are downloading; once your download is complete you will not be distributing it to others, unless you explicitly enable this in the options."

This change is planned to hit test servers within the next few weeks, after which players should experience more reliable and possibly even faster updates and repairs to the EVE client.